NOTICE
FOR ATTORNEYS - Complex Business Litigation Section
will commence on January 8, 2007. Administrative Order criteria
must be met and the new Civil Cover Sheet must be used in
order for cases to be filed in this section.
Parenting
Coordinators
The purpose of parenting coordination is to provide
a child-focused alternative dispute resolution process
whereby an impartial third person called a parenting
coordinator (PC) assists the parties in developing
or implementing their parenting plan by facilitating
the resolution of disputes, providing education and
making recommendations to the parties, and, with the
prior consent of the parties and approval of the court,
making limited decisions within the scope of the order
of referral.
The PC may be ordered in family law cases in which
parents experience difficulties in dealing with one
another in parenting their minor children, in order
to help them develop, modify, and implement their parenting
plan, monitor compliance with the details of their
time-sharing arrangement, and help them resolve their
child-related disputes in a timely manner. The PC may
provide education about effective co-parenting strategies,
and may refer the parties to community resources for
services and treatment, if necessary. When the parties
agree, the court order gives the PC the authority to
make temporary decisions on child-related issues in
order to immediately relax the parents’ conflict.
These decisions may not be substantive in nature, and
must be within the scope of the court’s order
of referral.
Florida Statute 61.125, effective October 1, 2009,
governs the practice of parenting coordination in Florida,
and delineates specific qualifications of a court appointed
parenting coordinator:
1. One of the following: license as a mental health
professional under chapter 490 or chapter 491; license
as a physician under chapter 458, with certification
by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology;
certification as a Florida Supreme Court Family Law
Mediator, with at least a master’s degree in
a mental health field; member in good standing of The
Florida Bar.
2. All of the following: three years of post-licensure
or post-certification practice; training in family
mediation program certified by the Florida Supreme
Court; minimum of 24 hours training as specified in
F.S. 61.125 (2)(c); minimum of 4 hours training in
domestic violence and child abuse which is related
to parenting coordination.
For more information, the statute can be found at:
http://www.flsenate.gov/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=61.125&URL=CH0061/Sec125.HTM
Please
see the Parenting
Coordination Administrative Order 09-15 Parenting
Coordination in Family Law Cases
which includes the Court
Order of Referral to Parenting Coordinator, and describes the court-ordered functions of a PC,
in accordance with F.S. 61.125. This standard Order
of Referral to Parenting Coordinator should be used
in all cases.
The Family Court Services Unit of the Administrative
Office of the Court is responsible for all court
ordered referrals to parenting coordinators in
the 11th Judicial Circuit. As per the Order, both
parties must contact Family Court Services, who
will provide the referral, coordinate the process,
and monitor compliance for the court. Family Court
Services has compiled a list of parenting coordinators
which includes professionals who have met the above
requirements and taken a four hour specific training
on procedures and protocols regarding the practice
of parenting coordination in this circuit. When
contacting Family Court Services, the parties may
provide the name of a parenting coordinator of
their choice or will be given the opportunity to
select a parenting coordinator from the Family
Court Services PC Resource List. If the parties
do not agree to a specific parenting coordinator,
Family Court Services will choose one for them
based upon location, language, affordability, and
other factors related to the parties. For parties
that are indigent, the court may indicate that
Family Court Services will provide parenting coordination
directly, in which case no fee is required.
If you are interested in becoming a Parenting Coordinator,
please send your completed
application, curriculum
vitae and any supplementary information (certifications,
training, etc.) to:
Family Court Services
175 NW 1st Avenue, 15th Floor
Miami Florida 33128
Phone: 305-349-5575/Fax: 305-349-5634
Parenting Coordinators Application(Acrobat)
Report
of Genral Magistrate on Motion for Referral
to Parenting
Coordinator
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